The NCMC MARINE BULLETIN No. 134 Fall 2011 A BRAND NEW DAY Inside this issue:

Ocean View - 2 FOR Winning Requires Atlantic Menhaden, will require a reduction Playing the Whole ASMFC PUTS FORAGE FIRST! Game in landings of 37% percent from 2010 levels. ast coast fi shery managers are now New management and allocation measures for River 3 treating menhaden as if it really were the reduction fi shery along with the fi sheries Amendments Eone of “the most important fi sh in the that catch menhaden for the bait market will Move Forward sea.” On August 9th, the Atlantic States Marine be developed through an amendment to the ...But in Different Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) voted to end FMP in 2012, with a goal of implementing the Directions years of overfi shing and triple the population catch limits in the 2013 fi shing season. MSC Strengthens 3 of this small silvery prey fi sh, an essential Forage Fishery The menhaden fi shery, one of the oldest Standards source of food for countless marine predators, in America, has never had any catch limits in order to “increase menhaden abundance other than a cap on what can be taken from A Bill to Save 5 and availability as a forage species.” Billfish, the Lions . So, why the historic change and Tigers of the “This is an historic moment,” says Ken in how menhaden are managed? Why now? Sea Hinman, president of the National Coalition The short answer is that the ASMFC Mid-Atlantic 8 for Marine Conservation. “The benefi ts of took a fresh look at the state of the resource, Council Needs to leaving more menhaden in the water will considered emerging standards for conserving Hear from NCMC’s ripple throughout the coastal ecosystem, Friends and forage fi sh like menhaden, and listened, not Supporters improving the environment for so many other just to the industry, but to the broad public species and so many other fi sheries.” constituency the commission represents and The 15-state/federal commission, that the resource belongs to. The long answer meeting in Boston for its 70th Annual Meeting, is that it took an awful lot of work, over many approved new targets and limits for the years, to get to this day. “Over the last 10 years, menhaden fi shery. The overfi shing threshold NCMC participated in nearly every meeting – the fi shing level that must be avoided - was that had anything to do with menhaden raised to 15% of the population’s maximum held by ASMFC and other state/federal spawning potential (or %MSP, a measure used management and research institutions,” says to assess a fi sh stock relative to its pristine NCMC’s Hinman. “We dedicated ourselves, Plus: state). Most importantly, a new population more than any other organization, to getting target – the level that management measures where we are today. And I’m happy to say our work has paid off, big-time.” (See Ocean • Special TMOM edition aim to achieve - was set at 30%MSP. To put Guy Harvey poster this into perspective, the ASMFC’s 2010 stock View, page 2) available for a limited assessment estimated the current population PROTECT THE LINK, STRENGTHEN time to our supporters! at less than 10% of the un-fi shed level. It’s THE FOOD CHAIN (see page 5) been kept at or near this low level for decades • NCMC’s recent travels in order to keep catches high for the reduction he largest commercial fi shery for are detailed on page 6. industry, whose vessels caught 183,000 metric Atlantic menhaden, and long the most tons in 2010. Tpowerful agent against change, is the The new target and threshold, now part reduction fi shery, which takes about 80% of of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for the total catch. The reduction fi shery, which continued on page 7 4 ROYAL STREET, SE  LEESBURG, VA 20175 2 NCMC MARINE BULLETIN

THE SET-UP cean View Commentary hen the ASMFC fi nally moved to adopt a new overfi shing threshold that would trigger WINNING REQUIRES PLAYING Wrebuilding, the commission neglected to suggest specifi c rebuilding targets to manage the fi shery to. So we THE WHOLE GAME immediately went to work providing the Plan Development The secret of success is constancy to purpose. Benjamin Disraeli Team with information on a range of targets that would protect menhaden’s ecological role while still providing ixty fi shing and environmental organizations and fi shing opportunities. over 91,000 individuals contacted the ASMFC in Here’s where our previous work within ASMFC and with Ssupport of strong new measures to protect Atlantic other institutions came into play. It was NCMC that initiated menhaden. (See lead story, page 1) Public input on this issue, the recent changes to federal fi sheries guidelines calling for according to the commission, was unprecedented, nearly forage fi sh to be maintained at a higher population size than four times the old record for most comments received. other species, or more than 40% of the un-fi shed level. We If overwhelming public support was all it took to save started the campaign to get the Marine Stewardship Council menhaden, however, we would have won this battle long to consider ecological standards for certifying forage fi sh ago. We always believed that, given the opportunity to as “sustainable,” resulting in new MSC criteria, including a back real change, the many thousands of fi shermen and target reference point for forage species like menhaden of at wildlife enthusiasts up and down the coast who understand least 40%. (See page 3) how important these little fi sh are would make their voices We submitted reviews of scientifi c papers on setting heard. But that opportunity, which came this year in the targets safely above thresholds and rebutting industry claims form of Addendum V to the Atlantic Menhaden Plan, was that only the environment, not fi shing, affects menhaden years in the making. abundance. We brought forward authoritative science For over a decade, the NCMC was always there - at showing that, even if ecological considerations are ignored, a meetings of the Menhaden Management Board, Technical target of 30% is a standard measure for a sustainable fi shery. Committee, Advisory Panel and Stock Assessment In the end, an addendum that began in March with only a Subcommittee, and dozens of ecosystem-based management 15% threshold offered target options of 30% and 40%. meetings and workshops sponsored by NOAA, the The rest, as they say, is history. To use a sports analogy, Chesapeake Bay Program and others. We were tireless we played the game for the full nine innings, eventually in informing, assisting and, yes, pushing the commission moving a runner into scoring position. Then, in the bottom toward an ecosystems approach, making certain that of the ninth, out came the heavy hitters – 91,000 of them - to menhaden’s importance as forage would be a topic at every drive it home. single meeting where it was discussed. -Ken Hinman, President

NATIONAL COALITION FOR MARINE CONSERVATION Founded in 1973 The NCMC is a 501(c)(3) non-profi t organization dedicated to the following goals: ♦ preventing overfi shing and restoring depleted fi sh populations to healthy levels ♦ promoting sustainable use policies that balance commercial, recreational and ecological values ♦ modifying or eliminating wasteful fi shing practices ♦ improving our understanding of fi sh and their role in the marine environment ♦ preserving coastal habitat and water quality. OFFICERS AND STAFF For information or comment, contact: Tim Choate, Chairman The NCMC Rick Weber, Vice Chairman Marine Bulletin Ken Hinman, President Pam Lyons Gromen, Editor Pam Lyons Gromen, Executive Director 4 Royal Street, SE Leesburg, VA 20175 Christine Snovell, Director of Communications and Development offi ce: (703) 777-0037 Laureen Megan, Offi ce Manager fax: (703) 777-1107

BOARD OF DIRECTORS William Akin (Montauk, NY) ♦ Stanley Arkin (New York, NY) ♦ Mary Barley (Islamorada, FL) ♦ Bill Boyce (Saugus, CA) C. J. Bright, Jr. (Kailua-Kona, HI) ♦ Tim Choate (Coral Gables, FL) ♦ William Cox, Jr. (Nantucket, MA) ♦ John Heyer (Sedona, AZ) Sandra Kaupe (Palm Beach, FL) ♦ Sabrina Kleinknecht (Monterey, CA) ♦ Skip Walton (Sarasota, FL) Rick Weber (Cape May, NJ) ♦ Christopher Weld (Essex, MA) NCMC MARINE BULLETIN 3 RIVER HERRING BYCATCH MSC STRENGTHENS AMENDMENTS MOVE FORWARD FORAGE FISHERY ... But in Different Directions STANDARDS hanks to an outpouring of support from fi shermen and s of August 15th, fi sheries that harvest conservationists, the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery sardines, anchovies, herring and other TManagement Councils are sending alternatives for addressing Aimportant prey fi sh must meet tougher river herring and shad bycatch out for public comment. The standards if they wish to be certifi ed as sustainable measures were developed as part of New England’s Amendment by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The 5 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and the new requirements for forage fi sh, referred to as Mid-Atlantic’s Amendment 14 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid and “lower trophic level species” by the MSC, are the Butterfi sh FMP. If all goes as scheduled, the comment periods will product of a two-year MSC-funded initiative that open in mid-February, hearings will be held in March, and fi nal action included extensive stakeholder participation and will be taken in April for implementation in 2013. scientifi c research. While the time lines for these amendments have conveniently MSC’s lower trophic level species project was aligned (Amendment 5 originated in 2008 and Amendment 14 began launched in 2009, after nearly three years of work over a year later), the Councils’ strategies for reducing shad and river by NCMC to draw attention to the inadequacies herring bycatch have taken separate paths. New England’s plan of MSC’s certifi cation criteria for forage fi sh. focuses on bycatch hotspots and includes a number of time and area- In October 2006, MSC announced that it was based measures including area closures. Analyses conducted for assessing the Gulf of California, Mexico sardine the Mid-Atlantic Council’s amendment, however, suggest that river fi shery, the fi rst feed-grade (i.e., reduction) herring and shad distribution is too variable year-to-year for area fi shery to undergo a full certifi cation. MSC closures to be effective. Instead, the Mid-Atlantic put forth options called on other reduction fi sheries to follow suit for incidental catch (i.e., bycatch) caps as a more viable method for and apply for certifi cation “in order to ensure the reducing river herring and shad mortality at sea. sustainability of these wild-capture fi sh used for In an October 17th letter to New England Council Chairman Rip feed stocks in aquaculture.” Cunningham, Mid-Atlantic Council Chairman Rick Robins wrote: The aquaculture industry’s dependence on “In order to facilitate public comment on alternatives that would wild-caught fi sh for feed is widely recognized allow alignment between these important amendments, and since as a serious risk to marine ecosystems. NCMC’s both plans in part manage the same fl eet, we request that the New 2006 review of MSC certifi cation methodology England Fishery Management Council include alternatives for these revealed major weaknesses in the criteria. Forage incidental catch caps in Amendment 5.” The previous week, the Mid- fi sheries could be awarded certifi cation without Atlantic Council extended a similar courtesy by voting to maintain adequate safeguards for the ecosystem and the New England Council’s closed area alternatives in Amendment dependent predators. NCMC encouraged other 14 for public comment. NGOs to get involved, resulting in a number The New England Council considered the request when it of meetings, workshops and letters to the MSC, convened in Newport, RI on November 15th. Rather than including urging the organization to raise the bar for forage bycatch cap alternatives that complement those developed by the Mid- fi shery certifi cations. Atlantic Council, New England decided that there was no scientifi c NCMC was pleased when MSC announced basis for the caps and instead included language in Amendment 5 to its lower trophic level species project in 2009, allow caps to be developed at an uncertain time in the future. which included the formation of a working group The Amendment 5 and Amendment 14 divergence is troubling of experts. The new guidance crafted by this because the councils both manage the mid-water trawl fi shery, which working group and implemented by the MSC in is responsible for over 75% of river herring bycatch and 40% of shad August 2011, clarifi es levels of stock abundance bycatch from ocean waters. Mid-water trawls pursue both Atlantic to be maintained to protect the ecosystem. For mackerel and Atlantic herring, at times targeting both species on the a minimum passing score, a fi shery must be same trip. Loopholes will occur if the councils’ amendments do not maintained at no less than 40% of its un-fi shed result in a cohesive strategy to address the problem, weakening river biomass. Within 5 years of certifi cation, fi sheries herring and shad protections. must be maintained at 75% of an un-fi shed level. th “The public comment period will be crucial for pushing the In a September 8 press release, Dr. councils to reconcile the differences in their plans,” says NCMC Dan Hoggarth, Senior Fisheries Assessment Executive Director Pam Lyons Gromen. “With river herring now Manager for the MSC said, “We trust these new undergoing a status review for Endangered Species Act listing, it is requirements will assure the sustainability of low unacceptable to allow these species to continue to fall through the trophic level fi sheries and the myriad species that cracks in our fi sheries management system.”  depend upon these same resources.” 

www.savethefi sh.org Fall 2011 4 NCMC MARINE BULLETIN A BILL TO SAVE BILLFISH, THE LIONS AND TIGERS OF THE SEA

The following op-ed by NCMC President Ken IUCN, which maintains the well-respected Red List of Hinman appeared in the October 19th Care2 blog Threatened Species, classifi ed blue marlin and white marlin featuring environment and wildlife causes. The blog as “vulnerable” to extinction, while striped marlin was assessed as “near threatened.” reached over one million subscribers, generating The key to recovery of billfi sh is to reduce commercial awareness and support for the Billfi sh Conservation fi shing pressure, says the IUCN. As it happens, Congress is Act of 2011. now considering legislation that would strengthen current U.S. law and enhance conservation of billfi sh worldwide. ike many Americans, I was fi rst introduced to the blue marlin by Ernest Hemingway in his classic The Billfi sh Conservation Act of 2011 (S. 1451 and H.R. L1952 novella, The Old Man and the Sea, which 2706), introduced this summer, would prohibit the sale of all chronicles an existential battle between an species of billfi sh (swordfi sh are not included) in old Cuban fi sherman and a great fi sh the U.S., with an exception for traditional longer than his boat. fi sheries within Hawaii and the Pacifi c islands. Sale of Atlantic Reading the story then, I Tell Your billfi sh is already prohibited, as could only imagine how much is striped marlin in California. that fi sh weighed, but today Congressmen to But we are the number I know the real-world one buyer of foreign- record for a blue marlin Support the Billfi sh caught fi sh, importing caught on rod-and-reel about 1,335 metric tons is an astounding 1,500 Conservation Act of 2011 - an unthinkable 30,000 pounds. And they get a Pacifi c marlin and other lot bigger than that. The Visit the Keep America Fishing Action Center to billfi sh - each year for blue marlin is, by any send a message to your Members of Congress, sale in our mainland measure, a magnifi cent urging their support for the Billfi sh Conservation restaurants and seafood fi sh; an unparalleled markets. The Billfi sh combination of size Act of 2011. (http://keepamericafi shing.org/action Conservation Act, if and speed that, coupled - Click on “National Issues” and from there select, passed by Congress, with a powerful sword- “Conserving the Magnifi cent Billfi sh.”) would take marlin off like bill, make it one of the the menu in the mainland ocean’s top predators. U.S. Blue marlin and other Throughout history, billfi sh, a family that includes once offered for sale are four species of marlin as well as the no longer. Societies determine that smaller sailfi sh and spearfi sh, are the certain species need to be protected lions, tigers and wolves of the sea, wild from the demands of commerce. The creatures as awe-inspiring as any animals on reasons may be social, economic, ecological or all earth. They sit at the top of the ocean food chain, where they three. It doesn’t happen overnight; it takes many decades, play the critical role of maintaining balance and diversity in even centuries. Today, we’ve reached that point in history marine ecosystems. with billfi sh. Unfortunately, although billfi sh have few natural It’s a natural progression. Hemingway hunted big predators, they are among the most threatened fi sh in the marlin and hung them on the dock. Today, the billfi sh sea. Man, after all, is the most dangerous predator of all, anglers I know don’t “catch” the fi sh at all, but let them go since we are limited only by the limits we set for ourselves. alive, modifying their gear to make sure every released fi sh Here in the United States, where fi shermen revere and survives. Some say the tipping point occurred in 1958, off protect billfi sh, we’ve set limits. On the high seas, however, Cape Hatteras, when my late friend Jack Cleveland caught commercial overfi shing by foreign fl eets has reduced billfi sh a blue marlin he guessed weighed somewhere between 300 populations to a mere fraction of what they were just decades and 400 pounds. When he shocked everyone by letting it ago. go, it was the talk of the docks up and down the coast, the According to a recent global assessment by the fi rst known voluntary release of a big blue. Fifty years later, International Union for the Conservation of Nature continued next page (IUCN), three species of billfi sh are in serious trouble. The

Fall 2011 www.savethefi sh.org NCMC MARINE BULLETIN 5 continued from page 4 GUY HARVEY SPECIAL EDITION it’s the angler who lands a billfi sh who’s got some explaining to do. “TAKE MARLIN OFF THE MENU” Marlin are hard to fi nd and even harder POSTER to catch. Just as hard to fi nd are bills like The Billfi sh Conservation Act. It’s picking Available for a Limited Time With Your up broad bipartisan support in Congress, as well as the backing of the environmental Year-end Gift of $50 or More and sport fi shing communities, because it’s good for the fi sh and good for the economy. In August, the Guy Harvey Foundation joined with the National U.S. commercial fi shermen don’t target Coalition for Marine Conservation and the International Game Fish billfi sh. Sales of imports amount to less than Association to promote the “Take Marlin Off the Menu” campaign. The 0.1% of our seafood industry. Consumers Foundation, which supports marine conservation through research have plenty of sustainable alternatives. The and education, is led by marine biologist Guy Harvey, who is also the catch-and-release recreational fi shery, while world’s best known and most popular billfi sh artist. To support our leaving a negligible salt water footprint, efforts, Guy created the amazing blue marlin poster pictured below. contributes thousands of jobs and many millions of dollars to the national economy. The poster, which measures 18” X 24”, will be sent to our supporters Santiago, the aging fi sherman in The who donate $50 or more to help us meet our 2012 conservation Old Man and the Sea, pays homage to his program goals. At the top of the list is the passage of the Billfi sh mortal adversary. “…Never have I seen a Conservation Act of 2011! Please consider making a donation today. greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or Donations can be made through our web site, www.savethefi sh.org more noble thing than you, brother.” With (click on “donate”) or by contacting our offi ce at 703-777-0037. this bill, we can show our respect while sending the message that the future of these majestic fi sh is not for sale.  Key to passage of The Billfi sh Conservation Act is obtaining strong support among both Republicans and Democrats. On many issues, the current Congress is polarized by partisan politics. That’s why it’s been so crucial to highlight this legislation as good for both the environment and the economy. To emphasize the broad political support for billfi sh conservation, we obtained sign-on letters to members of Congress from the recreational fi shing and environmental communities. A July letter signed by the American Sportfi shing Association, The Billfi sh Foundation, Coastal Conservation Association, National Marine Manufacturers Association, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, NCMC, IGFA and others asked Congress to “Restore Billfi sh Populations and Create Jobs.” In October, a letter signed by 70 environmental groups told members that The Billfi sh Conservation Act “is a win for the environment and the economy.” As of this writing, the House bill (HR 2706) had 21 co-sponsors, 14 Republicans and 7 Democrats. Of these, 8 are members of the Resources Committee, whose approval the bill will need before it goes for a full vote in the House. On the Senate side, S. 1451 has 6 co- sponsors, split evenly among Rs and Ds. Three sit on the critical Commerce Committee.

www.savethefi sh.org Fall 2011 6 NCMC MARINE BULLETIN A log of where we have traveled to fi ght for NCMC the fi sh in the last quarter...

 President Ken Hinman attended the Pacifi c Fishery Management Council (PFMC) meeting in San Mateo, CA September 13-15. He presented the council with information on swordfi sh buoy gear as an alternative to drift entanglement nets and pelagic longlines, noting a new study underway off the California coast by the Pfl egler Research Institute.  Ken joined the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) for a meeting of its Scientifi c and Statistical Committee (SSC) in Baltimore, MD on September 22nd. The committee is looking into a pilot project with the National TRAVELS Marine Fisheries Service to develop a “road map” for moving to ecosystem-based management, in particular how it might provide the council advice on issues such as quota-setting for forage fi sh.  Ken and Executive Director Pam Lyons Gromen attended the 4th National SSC Workshop October 4-6 in Williamsburg, VA, devoted to ecosystem-based approaches to management at the regional council level. A special forage fi sh session was included on the agenda. The group recommended, among other things, that forage fi sh conservation should include more fully accounting for predation in stock assessments and consider estimating forage abundance and forage demands as a whole, not just by species.  Pam was at the MAFMC meeting in Galloway, NJ October 12-14, where the Council voted Amendment 14 to the Atlantic mackerel, squid and butterfi sh plan out for public comment with a variety of alternatives for monitoring and reducing ocean bycatch of shad and river herring. Pam and other organization representatives from the Herring Alliance provided written and oral testimony supporting public comment on a full suite of alternatives and were pleased to see the amendment move forward. The offi cial public comment period and hearings will likely begin in February.  The U.S. advisory committee to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas met in Silver Spring, MD October 13-14 to develop positions for the annual ICCAT meeting November 11-19. Ken Hinman attended as a member of the committee (as did NCMC vice chair Rick Weber). NCMC made recommendations on renewing international agreements on blue marlin and swordfi sh, new measures for silky sharks, and better accounting of bycatch in Atlantic-wide fi sheries.  Ken went to Baltimore, MD on October 25th for a meeting of the ASMFC’s Menhaden Advisory Panel. He helped draft panel advice to the commission on choosing new targets and limits for managing menhaden. Ken also met with NMFS chief Eric Schwaab in Silver Spring, MD to talk about the ASMFC’s upcoming decision on menhaden.  The PFMC convened in Costa Mesa, CA November 1-7. Pam was on hand to provide recommendations on the draft outline of the Council’s developing Fishery Ecosystem Plan, urging the Council to furtherCourtesy NOAA develop Photo Library strategies for monitoring and managing the California Current forage base, including a prohibition on new forage fi sheries. Pam also testifi ed on sardine quotas for 2013, asking the Council to initiate steps to formally review and revise outdated methods for determining harvest levels and to take a risk-adverse approach to avoid overfi shing this keystone prey fi sh.  Ken attended the Annual Meeting of the ASMFC in Boston, MA . The Menhaden Management Board met on November 9th and approved Addendum V with a new goal of increasing menhaden abundance and availability as a forage species. (see story page 1).  Pam also attended the Boston, MA ASMFC meeting as Chair of the Shad & River Herring Advisory Panel. The Shad & River Herring Management Board received a presentation from NMFS Protected Resources Division on the NRDC petition to list river herring (both and blueback herring) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. NMFS issued a 90-day fi nding that the petition may be warranted and is now conducting a thorough status review for these species.

Fall 2011 www.savethefi sh.org NCMC MARINE BULLETIN 7

A BRAND NEW DAY FOR MENHADEN (continued from page 1) has been around since the early part of the 19th century, nets menhaden and “reduces” the fi sh down to fi sh meal and oil for industrial and agricultural uses. Combined with the bait catch, it’s the biggest fi shery, by volume, on the eastern seaboard, landing on average 200,000 metric tons of menhaden a year. If the commercial menhaden fi shery has been around for nearly 200 years, why are we enacting the fi rst measures to regulate the total catch now? For one thing, we’re a lot smarter than we used to be. We better understand the fragile hasn’t constrained the total coast-wide catch. Nor did it links in overstressed ocean food chains and how overfi shing change the fact that the overall population of menhaden has a critical species like menhaden impacts others. We are declined by 86% since 1980. moving toward an ecosystem-based approach to managing our fi sheries. But even more than that, we were overtaken MORE MENHADEN FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL by events. hich brings us back to the question of why a Ironically, it was one of our biggest fi sh conservation population that is so depleted – that has been success stories - the recovery of in the 1990s - Wdepleted for many years - wasn’t made the object that turned what had always been a chronic concern among of a rebuilding plan long ago? Why, despite abundance at an anglers about commercial operations removing too many all-time low, did stock assessments for menhaden regularly prey from our coastal waters into an acute problem. Even conclude that the stock is not overfi shed and overfi shing is as we celebrated the return of the striper, the resurgent not occurring? population was not fi nding enough to eat. The fi sh were growing in number and size, but many were skinny and At fi rst, the 2010 ASMFC stock assessment ran true to diseased. While restoring the populations of bass and a form, but when it was subjected to an independent peer number of other predators, including seabirds and marine review last spring, the reviewers pulled back the curtain mammals, we’d been fi shing down one of their principal on the wizard. They said the bar for judging the health of sources of food - menhaden. the menhaden stock was set way too low, thereby masking problems in the fi shery. The bar is the reference points, the In the 1950s, 25 menhaden processing plants dotted the targets and thresholds used to assess the condition of the coast from Maine to . But one by one, states began stock. closing their waters to industrial-scale fi shing for menhaden, for a number of reasons, including concerns about the local The ASMFC’s menhaden management board forage base and overfi shing. The stock and the fi shery were responded to this wake-up call by initiating development both in decline, both contracted until, in the 1990s, fi shing of an addendum to its Interstate Fishery Management Plan, was concentrated in Chesapeake Bay – the breeding ground to replace the current reference points with new ones that for the majority of the east coast’s striped bass population - would increase abundance. In August of this year, the and surrounding waters of the mid-Atlantic region. Today commission approved Addendum V for public comment. The the reduction fi shery is run by one company, Houston-based Addendum proposed a new overfi shing threshold, twice the Omega Protein, with one plant, in Reedville, Virginia, whose old limit, and most importantly, proposed that management 10 boats fi sh from to North Carolina. measures be implemented to achieve new target population levels more in line with the minimum standards set for other Going back to the ‘50s, menhaden typically comprised species, including what is recommended for key forage fi sh. from 50-70% of the diet of a healthy striped bass population. The public weighed-in in support of the most conservative The most recent surveys in Chesapeake Bay show options in Addendum V, in record numbers. menhaden now account for less than 8%. Stripers feed on alternate prey when menhaden are not abundant, reducing So what can we expect as a result of the ASMFC’s availability to competing predators, like weakfi sh, whose decision to put more menhaden back in the water? In the numbers are dangerously low due to natural mortality. The near-term, many predator species will benefi t: striped bass, lack of menhaden is harming other species, too. Ospreys, bluefi sh, weakfi sh, sharks, tuna, whales and , sea for instance, rely heavily on young menhaden. Studies in turtles, ospreys and loons. Over the long-term, an increased Virginia have shown that menhaden made up 75% of the abundance is likely to improve spawning success and the diet of nestlings in the 1980s. Today it’s only 28%. chances for stronger year-classes, which will mean even As a result, survival of nestlings is poor. greater abundance in the future with higher yields for the fi sheries, including returning menhaden to their northern Concern about depletion of menhaden in the Chesapeake range in New England, where bait fi sheries used to thrive. led the ASMFC to freeze the bay catch in 2006 and initiate In other words, more menhaden will benefi t everyone, not studies to assess the ecological damage. That cap, the fi rst just the reduction fi shery, and that’s as it should be.  limit ever put on menhaden fi shing, is still in effect, but it

www.savethefi sh.org Fall 2011 8 NCMC MARINE BULLETIN PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER MID-ATLANTIC COUNCIL NEEDS TO HEAR FROM NCMC’S FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS

he Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) has launched an online survey to hear from Share Your Vision, Take the Survey Tstakeholders about how Mid-Atlantic fisheries should be managed in the future as well as what is working and www.mafmc.org/vision not working now. The survey is an important part of the Photo Library NOAA MAFMC Visioning Project, an initiative that will ultimately result in a strategic plan that will be implemented by the Council. “This is a rare opportunity for stakeholders to have a positive, long-term impact on fishery resources,” says NCMC Executive Director Pam Lyons Gromen who serves on the MAFMC Visioning Project Advisory Panel. “NCMC members, many of whom are anglers, represent a unique perspective as conservationists that would be of great value for shaping a vision for sustainable Mid-Atlantic fisheries.“ for summer flounder, , black sea bass, scup, spiny dogfish, surfclams, ocean quahogs, tilefish, Atlantic The MAFMC manages a number of species that are not mackerel, shortfin squid, longfin squid and butterfish. only vital to fisheries, they are critical to a healthy ecosystem. For over a decade, NCMC has closely followed the Atlantic "This is a stakeholder-driven initiative in every way. Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan, Our top priority is to hear from our constituents and then advocating for ecosystem-based approaches to managing act on that input in a timely manner,” says council chairman these important forage species. Rick Robins. The main visioning survey takes just minutes to Hard copies of the surveys can be obtained by contacting

complete. There are also optional fishery-specific surveys the MAFMC office at (302) 674-2331. 

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